Sad loss to bobcat

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

I have had bobcat problems too. We are calling in a trapper and hope we can catch it. We have lost 4 hens and a baby this year.

What we ended up doing is clearing a lot of brush, and walking a dog around most afternoons before letting the guineas out. I had been out feeding just after dark when I heard a loud growl. I called my DH over, but it wasn’t repeated until he left. Then I hear a whole lot of growling, from two different bobcats (I think). So I ran back in and leashes up the Doberman on a long lead. She was very excited and found something in a brush pile that could have been a kit, or something else. She chased for a bit. If that was a kit, then I hope it was very scared!

 

[wild chick]

I know this is an older thread, curious if you ever got the bobcat trapped? One has been taking chickens - we have 5 foot chain link with hot wire all around and it still got in. So now the chickens are on lockdown in the coop and covered run, very secure, but I'd love to trap the bobcat. I was reading the other thread about trapping, maybe fish & wildlife will do it for me? Or will they just laugh and tell me to keep my chickens in their secure pen. I've lost 2 in 5 years to predators and one of those was a neighbor dog, so I felt really lucky, but it's 2020 and my chickens haven't been lucky the last 3 weeks.

 

[wild chick]

... and to add, I also have a Doberman and a Dutch Shepherd. And I do know it's a bobcat, caught it on the critter cam.

 

[R2elk]

I know this is an older thread, curious if you ever got the bobcat trapped? One has been taking chickens - we have 5 foot chain link with hot wire all around and it still got in. So now the chickens are on lockdown in the coop and covered run, very secure, but I'd love to trap the bobcat. I was reading the other thread about trapping, maybe fish & wildlife will do it for me? Or will they just laugh and tell me to keep my chickens in their secure pen. I've lost 2 in 5 years to predators and one of those was a neighbor dog, so I felt really lucky, but it's 2020 and my chickens haven't been lucky the last 3 weeks.

It is unlikely that the G&F will trap a bobcat for you. They can probably put you in contact with local trappers that may be willing to remove your problem kitty.

 

[Sydney65]

Bobcats,bears, snakes..Indiana is so blessedly boring.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

I know this is an older thread, curious if you ever got the bobcat trapped? One has been taking chickens - we have 5 foot chain link with hot wire all around and it still got in. So now the chickens are on lockdown in the coop and covered run, very secure, but I'd love to trap the bobcat. I was reading the other thread about trapping, maybe fish & wildlife will do it for me? Or will they just laugh and tell me to keep my chickens in their secure pen. I've lost 2 in 5 years to predators and one of those was a neighbor dog, so I felt really lucky, but it's 2020 and my chickens haven't been lucky the last 3 weeks.

Hi Wild Chick, I never did trap, shoot, or otherwise remove that *%#* bobcat! I’m surprised it’s giving you trouble if you have dogs out watching your birds? Also surprised your hot wire/fence doesn’t scare it off... What’s your overall setup and security look like?

Sadly, I’m pretty sure I haven’t seen the last of our bobcats. However, it hasn’t grabbed a bird in several months. I attribute the bobcats absence to, in decreasing order of importance: 1) most important was clearing brush. Bobcats are usually ambush predators so need a place to hide and stalk. 2) walking my dogs (on a leash) around where I think the bobcat was stalking. The dogs scent mark and bark and make noise; they overall remove the bobcat welcome mat. 3) I’ve enlarged my guinea fowl flock. This may or may not be helping, but they currently stay together and have a lot of sentries. They are very aware and a guinea regularly flies up high to scout for danger. My guineas have seen enough action that they are very flighty and will alarm call and fly at a moment’s notice. They often do so, so maybe the bobcat is still around, but there are many other potential predators that they are reacting to...

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Bobcats,bears, snakes..Indiana is so blessedly boring.

Seriously? You have none of those? Talk about the easy life!!!

 

[wild chick]

Hi Wild Chick, I never did trap, shoot, or otherwise remove that *%#* bobcat! I’m surprised it’s giving you trouble if you have dogs out watching your birds? Also surprised your hot wire/fence doesn’t scare it off... What’s your overall setup and security look like?

Short story long, I have about 7 fenced acres- perimeter fenced with 4' high, 2"x4" woven wire. This is to keep the dogs in, I know it doesn't do much to keep out preditors. The chicken coop & run you see in the photo above is very secure with hardwire cloth at the bottom + chicken wire all on chain link with a covered roof. The coop & run is inside a horse paddock, about 1/4 acre, that has 5' chainlink with hot wire up the outside and on the top, and that is well inside the outside perimeter fence. And as you can see we work the dogs (obedience & agility type stuff) right in that paddock, so their smell is everywhere. Dogs are mostly wherever we are. When we're inside, they are usually inside, if we are out, the dogs go out. They do bark, run the fence if they see/smell/hear something and generally make themselves known several times a day. The chickens were previously free range (for 5 years!) on the 7 acres and the dogs got along with them and never bothered them, but I wouldn't say they watched over them. The chickens were only closed up in cold weather, so they were usually out at dawn & in at dusk as they pleased. In October a hen was killed at dawn. We put them in lockdown for 3 days, assuming a coyote. 10 days later another vanished without a trace in the middle of the day. She was there in the morning and around noon, then gone at 3:30 pm with the flock packed together in the barn it was obvious there had been an attack. So we locked down again, reinforced the hot wire, barricaded the paddock so the chickens couldn't go beyond that and after 5 more days just let them out for a couple of hours in the evening. We watched them and checked constantly, let the dogs bark at anything around, and it was quiet for 2 weeks. I was still assuming coyote, but Friday I was in the house for about 30 minutes at dusk and came back out to lock the coop and I heard the hot wire clicking and found it down and shorting out on the chainlink. Sure enough another chicken gone. And FINALLY it was on the critter cam, and not the coyote I was thinking. So obviously I cannot let them out of the coop/run again until this cat is gone. Ugh. My chickens aren't pets, but I do love them & they all have names. They are really shaken up between the attacks and the lockdown and the rooster hasn't crowed for 3 weeks, so I know they are feeling it too. I didn't design the coop & run for 24/7 housing, but better sad than dead at this point. Thanks for answering back, I'll touch base if we find a way to get the cat.

 

[Sydney65]

Seriously? You have none of those? Talk about the easy life!!!

Further south there are Timber Rattlers,but we keep our bears in the zoo. We do have coyotes. I'd get laughed out of the forum if I c/o snow or raccoons. In comparison to the rest of the ctry, even our protests are pretty tame. See? Boring. Personally, I'm good w/it.

 

[BennieAnTheJets]

Short story long, I have about 7 fenced acres- perimeter fenced with 4' high, 2"x4" woven wire. This is to keep the dogs in, I know it doesn't do much to keep out preditors. The chicken coop & run you see in the photo above is very secure with hardwire cloth at the bottom + chicken wire all on chain link with a covered roof. The coop & run is inside a horse paddock, about 1/4 acre, that has 5' chainlink with hot wire up the outside and on the top, and that is well inside the outside perimeter fence. And as you can see we work the dogs (obedience & agility type stuff) right in that paddock, so their smell is everywhere. Dogs are mostly wherever we are. When we're inside, they are usually inside, if we are out, the dogs go out. They do bark, run the fence if they see/smell/hear something and generally make themselves known several times a day. The chickens were previously free range (for 5 years!) on the 7 acres and the dogs got along with them and never bothered them, but I wouldn't say they watched over them. The chickens were only closed up in cold weather, so they were usually out at dawn & in at dusk as they pleased. In October a hen was killed at dawn. We put them in lockdown for 3 days, assuming a coyote. 10 days later another vanished without a trace in the middle of the day. She was there in the morning and around noon, then gone at 3:30 pm with the flock packed together in the barn it was obvious there had been an attack. So we locked down again, reinforced the hot wire, barricaded the paddock so the chickens couldn't go beyond that and after 5 more days just let them out for a couple of hours in the evening. We watched them and checked constantly, let the dogs bark at anything around, and it was quiet for 2 weeks. I was still assuming coyote, but Friday I was in the house for about 30 minutes at dusk and came back out to lock the coop and I heard the hot wire clicking and found it down and shorting out on the chainlink. Sure enough another chicken gone. And FINALLY it was on the critter cam, and not the coyote I was thinking. So obviously I cannot let them out of the coop/run again until this cat is gone. Ugh. My chickens aren't pets, but I do love them & they all have names. They are really shaken up between the attacks and the lockdown and the rooster hasn't crowed for 3 weeks, so I know they are feeling it too. I didn't design the coop & run for 24/7 housing, but better sad than dead at this point. Thanks for answering back, I'll touch base if we find a way to get the cat.

Wild chick, you sound just like us! So many ways. Hang in there! I agree, better sad than dead. What can you do about the cat?

We eventually got Maremmas. Life Stock Guardian dogs. But it is not ideal either. They are not bonded to the flock as hard as I tried and, like you said, they help by being around but we had one bird taken while they were sleeping under the house in the summer - ugh! And the bark their heads off at night so I can't sleep so I started locking them up at night. We, too, built an expensive fence to have the dogs contained (and the wildlife get over easily). We even have the same size fence, ha ha. We also had no problems for the first 5 years and our coop/run is also not built for 24/7 occupancy but mostly for safe sleeping. I am trying to expand it but it is hard going.